It is well known that contact of an individual's palate is an important factor for correctly pronouncing a consonant in the English language. It is also well known that the correct pressure pattern of an individual's tongue against the individual's palate or generally roof of the mouth contributes to the correct or proper pronunciation of selected letters in preselected languages.
For example, a U.S. Patent of Wakumoto et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,511,441 discloses a System for Measuring Tongue Pressure. As disclosed, a system for measuring tongue pressure includes a thin palate floor plate, thin pressure sensor sheets, an attaching member and a cable. The shape of the thin palate floor plate matches with that of a palate. The thin pressure sensor sheets have a plurality of pressure sensing cells secured to the lower surface of the palate floor plate. The attaching member attaches the palate floor plate to a proper position on the palate.
The cable transmits information from the pressure sensing cells of the pressure sensor sheets to an apparatus outside the palate, and is let out of the oral cavity extending around the back of the final gum tooth and passing along the vestibule of the oral cavity when the palate floor plate is attached on the palate. Each of the pressure sensor sheets has two resin backings structured in one body, each of which has a plurality of electrodes covered with a pressure-sensitive ink layer on one side. Between the backings, air is contained gastightly. The electrodes are opposed to each other via the pressure-sensitive ink. The portions corresponding to the opposing electrodes and the pressure-sensitive ink layer functions as the pressure sensing cells.
A slightly more recent U.S. Patent of Fletcher U.S. Pat. No. 6,971,993 discloses a Method for Utilizing Oral Movement and Related Events. As disclosed, a method for utilizing oral movements is used in speech assessment, speech therapy, language development, and controlling external devices. A device is used which includes a sensor plate having sensors to detect contact of the tongue with the sensor plate. One aspect of the invention allows viewing representations of contact of the tongue and palate during speech and comparing the representations with model representations displayed in a split screen fashion. The model representations may be generated by another speaker utilizing a sensor plate or by computer generated representations which have been electronically stored. The representations may be analyzed to assess speech proficiency and the model may be mimicked for speech enhancement.
Finally, a U.S. Patent Publication of Moe No. 2009/0239201 discloses a Phonetic Pronunciation Training Device, Phonetic Pronunciation Training Method and Phonetic Pronunciation Training Program. As disclosed therein, a phonetic pronunciation training device, phonetic pronunciation training method, and phonetic pronunciation training program are provided wherein pronunciation and sounds in language acquisition can be self-learned and listening skills, spelling skills and vocabulary can be enhanced. The present invention comprises at least a data base for storing phonetic pronunciation data associated with phonetic data and phonetic symbol data indicating this phonetic data, a selection function block for receiving instruction signals from an input means and randomly selecting phonetic pronunciation data, a phonetic pronunciation data reproducing function for reproducing selected phonetic pronunciation data, and a phonetic symbol data correct/error determination function block for comparing phonetic symbol data input by the input means and phonetic symbol data corresponding to the selected phonetic pronunciation data and recording the correct/error result to a memory means.
Notwithstanding the above, it is presently believed that there is a need and a potential commercial market for an improved method, system and device for indicating the proper pressure pattern by the tongue against an individual's palate or palate plate for pronouncing a specific letter in a preselected language. There should be a commercial market because the device allows an individual to feel the proper tongue position against the individual's palate for correctly pronouncing a letter in a preselected language, as for example one of 17 letters in the Arabic language. The method, system and device in accordance with the present invention are relatively simple in design and manufacture and can be readily reproduced for use by adults and children with different sized mouths.